Principal Huseman empowers goa

By Austin Colm ‘25 
Golda Och Academy named Paul-Michael Huseman Acting Principal last May for the 2024-25 academic school year. 

Mr Huseman's previous roles include the Science Department Chair and faculty member, 9th-grade Level Lead and Upper School Schedule and Assessment Coordinator. 
Sophomore Seth Perlstein said, “As my grade level lead, he was extremely helpful last year when it came to communication and was very understanding of our grade dynamics. I'm excited to see him take on this new role!” 
Freshman Theo Buber adds that Mr. Huseman has great ideas for the school regarding pedagogy and policies that will help us learn and live in a smoother schedule.
Head of School Rabbi Danny Nevins said, “Mr. Huseman has been incredibly impressive to me.  When he was on the faculty he brought a clear vision for the school. He had a real sense of planning clarity, systems that would allow students to thrive, and he is intentional about how we do our work together.” 
One of the ideas Mr. Huseman brought is the revamped Friday Zman Kodesh, led each week by a rotating group of clubs and student organizations. Students and faculty are given the chance to share their wisdom and spirit with the rest of the school. Many students and faculty members, including Rabbi Nevins, have made it known that they appreciate the plurality of voices on Friday mornings.
 In addition to scheduling and policy changes, Mr. Huseman has adopted what he calls a “Student Empowerment Mindset.” He said, “I am interested in giving students more choice and more agency, but with that, I want to have more accountability.” 
Mr. Huesman aims to help students maximize their learning potential and develop a love for learning in the next generation. “I’d like to build on our previous structures in a way that will help students continue to grow,” he said.
“We are raising the next generation of 20 and 40-year-olds, and we are obligated to prepare them for the world to come. Every moment is an opportunity to build compassion and understanding and fuel the fire to improve the world. The generation above me handed my generation a less-than-perfect world; it’s my goal for the ‘buck to stop here.’” Huesman says.  
One such 20-year-old is GOA alumnus David Heimowitz ‘22, a current student at The Cornell University College of Engineering. 
About his relationship with Principal Huseman over the years, Heimowitz said, “When I heard about Mr Huseman becoming principal, I was elated. I remember spending many recesses in the STEM lab with Mr. Huseman, trying to figure out the latest math or engineering concept I had become interested in. He advocated for my curiosity and helped teach me how to discover the answer to my problems.”
Mr. Huseman expressed his goal of having students have a voice in what their education looks like and encourages students to take initiative in passion projects and student activities such as the Student Council's new initiative to redecorate the Ulam. Huesman says, “Student Council should be empowered to take the lead on what programming is. I don’t think it makes sense for adults to say, ‘Hey Juniors, here’s the fun thing you all want!’”
“School is not a thing done to kids; it is a place for kids. How can we make aesthetic changes? How can the Ulam reflect what kids want? If the students take something like redecorating the Ulam, that is a one-time thing where everyone who participated owns and deeply connects to that space. We historically have not organized ourselves in a way that supports such empowerment.”
The Student Council’s initiative in redecorating the Ulam is just one of many proposals of Huseman’s aimed at restoring student ownership of certain areas of the building and improving the school.